The NRA’s self-inflicted wounds

Firearm sales fell 6.1 per cent in the U.S. in 2018, the second straight annual decline. (Bryan Woolston/Reuters)

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that defends the rights of arms. Founded in 1871, the group has informed its members about firearms legislation since 1934 and has directly pressed for and against firearms legislation since 1975.

Founded to advance the rifle’s aim, the modern NRA continues to teach safety and firearms competence. The organization also publishes several magazines and sponsors competitive marksmanship events. According to the NRA, it has about 5 million members as of December 2018, although that figure has not been confirmed independently.

Now, the National Rifle Association is beset by scandal and internal strife, which threatens to endanger the future of the arms group.

NRA in disorder

In the NRA, a disorder now dominates, such that internal struggles threaten the future of the arms group.

The National Rifle Association held its annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, over the weekend, but standard weapons and God’s festivities were overshadowed by infighting. That being the case, Oliver North, who left Fox News to become the president of the group, resigned on Saturday and said he was expelled after raising questions about alleged irregularities and insider trading, including $ 200,000 in cost of clothing for Wayne LaPierre, the former executive president of the NRA.

It is necessary to emphasize that the organization was already in serious financial problems, presenting deficits of up to $ 45 million dollars per year, as its clients and corporate members defect in the midst of legal problems and reports of the group’s friendly ties with Russia. Dues and donations dropped $ 70 million in 2017.

Likewise, it is now under investigation by the Attorney General of the State of New York, to whom the Wall Street Journal reports that it is investigating transactions between related parties between the NRA and members of its board of directors, unauthorized political activity and potentially false or misleading disclosures in regulatory submissions.

Added to this, it must be added that the NRA is in the middle of a hostile division with Ackerman McQueen, the advertising agency that has shaped the identity of the group and has managed its campaigns for more than a quarter of a century. That battle has generated demand and more damaging revelations about the tens of millions of dollars that were transferred to the company ($ 42.6 million dollars in 2017 alone) and the large payments that returned to NRA stars such as North, LaPierre and Dana Loesch.